When it comes to contract or temporary employment, most workers tend to look only at pay. It’s not a bad place to start, but there are other factors you should look at before accepting an assignment:

1.) Safety

This is probably the single most important item to look at because you can’t put a price on your personal safety. Many staffing firms offer safety training before you enter a job site and are dillignet in describing proper safety attire and what to do in case of an emergency or accident. The agency you’re working with should take a proactive approach in providing safety training and should help if you identify a safety issue. Ask about safety protocols before you start a temp job.

2.) Opportunity for Growth

Temp jobs can often be a pathway to a career. Many companies use temporary workers as a pool of potential full time workers. In addition, contract employment is often a great way to gain valuable experience in fields that have more opportunity for wage growth. Temporary employment may be a good entry point for building a career in a wide range of industries. And just because a particular job doesn’t lead to something full time, doesn’t mean that it’s lost. Work experience is valuable in snagging the next one that comes along.

3.) Benefits

Some staffing firms offer benefits and some don’t. It’s worth looking at the staffing agency you’re working with in order to determine the true cost of a job depending on the benefits they offer.

4.) Customer Service

How you’re treated counts. If an agency isn’t treating you with respect when you first walk in the door, that’s a strong indication that things won’t go well in a year. The agency is your partner moving through employment opportunities and needs to work with you as an equal partner. It’s one of the reasons why we adopted the #nescoworks tagline. We never wanted to forget the people that we work for every day.

5.) Flexibility

It may be the total of number of hours you need, a type of work you’re looking for or a schedule you need to keep. Staffing agencies and employers are increasing working with contract employees to figure out ways to make work mutually beneficial for all parties. Expressing your needs up front will help in terms of outlining what your needs are. A staffing agency should be accommodating to your needs where they can be. Many staffing firms are becoming advocates for greater flexibility working with their clients to create schedules that work for everyone.

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By Andrew Deutsch

Andrew Deutsch ARM, Executive Vice President Central Division
joined Nesco Resource in July of 2006 as the Corporate Risk Manager. Andrew was promoted to VP of Operations and Risk in 2008, VP of the Light Industrial & Clerical Division and Risk in 2009, and ultimately to his current role within Nesco Resource. Andrew came to Nesco Resource with 15 years of progressive management experience in commercial staffing, including a strong background in structuring and implementing staffing specific risk management programs. Throughout his career Andrew has excelled in new business development, branch start-ups and rebuilding problematic markets. His focus and area of staffing expertise includes Light Industrial, Clerical, large On-Site Management and Set Up, as well as safety and risk management. His divisions currently include Engineering & IT, Accounting & Finance and Light Industrial & Clerical.